Latest news with #SeanStrickland
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC 317 Loses Main Card Bout As Former Title Challenger Is Out
NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - MAY 31: Paulo Costa of Brazil poses on the scale during the UFC 302 official ... More weigh-in at the Westin Jersey City Newport on May 31, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images) With a little more than a week to go before the next pay-per-view on the UFC schedule, the promotion has lost one of the fights that was scheduled for the main card of UFC 317. That fight is a middleweight matchup between former UFC middleweight title challenger Paulo Costa and Roman Kopylov. The news of Costa being off the card came from Robert Tellez on social media. The fight has been removed from the UFC 317 page on the promotion's website. Costa opened his MMA career at 13-0. Since losing a title fight to then-UFC middleweight champ Israel Adesanya via TKO in September 2020, Costa is 1-4. He is coming off a split-decision setback to former middleweight titleholder Sean Strickland at UFC 302 in June 2024. Costa has a history of pulling out of UFC fights. Since he joined the promotion in 2017 after a stint as the Jungle Fights middleweight titleholder, Costa has withdrawn from six fights under the UFC banner. Two of those withdrawals came after Costa said he had not signed a deal for the fights. Reports are the fight between Costa and Kopylov is being moved to UFC 318 as the reason for the Costa being unable to compete at UFC 317 is an illness. The official fight card for UFC 317 is slim. Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira - For vacant UFC lightweight title Alexandre Pantoja (c) vs. Kai Kara-France - For Pantoja's UFC flyweight title Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano - Lightweight Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape - Flyweight Jack Hermansson vs. Gregory Rodriguez - Middleweight Payton Talbott Vs. Felipe Lima - Bantamweight Jhonata Diniz vs. Justin Tafa - Heavyweight Viviane Araújo vs. Tracy Cortez - Women's flyweight The following bouts have been announced for UFC 317, but not confirmed by the promotion Terrance McKinney vs. Viacheslav Borshchev - Lightweight Hyder Amil vs. Jose Delgado - Featherweight Niko Price vs. Jacobe Smith - Welterweight ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 26:Ilia Topuria of Spain prepares to face Max Holloway in ... More the UFC featherweight championship fight during the UFC 308 event at Etihad Arena on October 26, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Ilia Topuria (16-0) is a former Cage Warriors champion. He joined the UFC in 2020 with a 9-0 record. It did not take him long to make a name for himself. He was ranked No. 14 in the featherweight division after three UFC bouts at 145 pounds and one contest in the 155-pound division. Three of those scraps ended with Topuria winning via knockout. In his first fight as a ranked featherweight, Topuria dispatched Bryce Mitchell via submission in the second round, earned his first 'Performance of the Night' bonus and moved to No. 9 in the rankings. A matchup with No. 5 ranked Josh Emmett followed the Mitchell win. Topuria picked up a decision in a 'Fight of the Night' scrap. Topuria's next fight, saw him face Alexander Volkanovski for the UFC featherweight title at UFC 298. Topuria entered that bout as the No. 3 ranked featherweight. He left as the champion after knocking out Volkanovski in the second stanza. In his first defense of the UFC featherweight crown, Topuria made history, becoming the first fighter to finish former 145-pound champion Max Holloway via strikes, knocking out the ex-champion in the third round of their UFC 308 meeting in October 2024. When Topuria decided to move to lightweight and give up his featherweight title, he vowed to sit until he got a 155-pound title shot. That fight takes place at UFC 317. Topuria has a 16-0 record with eight of those wins coming under the UFC banner. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Charles Oliveira of Brazil prepares to face Michael Chandler ... More during the UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC) Charles Oliveira (35-10-0-1) has been fighting with the UFC since 2010. He won the vacant lightweight title with his win over Chandler and defended the title once, beating Dustin Poirier. He was booked to face Justin Gaethje in his second title defense, but Oliveira missed weight for that fight, which he won by submission, losing the title on the scale. Oliveira had a chance to regain the belt in October 2022, but Islam Makhachev submitted him and claimed the vacant belt. Since that loss, Oliveira is 1-1, beating Beneil Dariush by TKO in June 2023 and losing to Arman Tsarukyan via split decision in April of this year. Oliveira is coming off a November 2024 decision win over Michael Chandler. Oliveira is the No. 2 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings. Saturday, June 28, 2025 Main card: 10:00 p.m. ET Preliminary Card: 8:00 p.m. ET Early Preliminary Card: 6:00 p.m. ET T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV We will have more on the UFC 317 fight card as fight night approaches.
The Sun
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I'm Muhammad Ali's grandson but kept it a secret when I walked into the gym… I took beatings like everyone else
BIAGGIO ALI WALSH is related to the most famous fighter of all time but he hid it - because he wanted to take beatings just like everyone else. The 26-year-old is the grandson to boxing icon Muhammad Ali and now finds himself making his own way in MMA. 4 4 Biaggio once had aspirations of going to the NFL but swapped American football for MMA - where he is now 2-0. The lightweight trains at Extreme Couture - the Las Vegas gym headed up by Eric Nicksick - trainer to Francis Ngannou. When Biaggio first walked into the gym he kept his identity a secret - and it took ex-UFC champion Sean Strickland FOUR YEARS to catch on. Biaggio told SunSport: "I never walked into Extreme Couture and I would tell people, 'Oh, I'm Muhammad Ali's grandson.' "That's actually the last thing I want is for people to know as soon as they get to a gym. "So yeah, I think just word of mouth, people started to find out who I was. Apparently Sean Strickland didn't know till like a couple of weeks ago. "He came up to me and he's like, 'Bro, you're Muhammad Ali's grandson?' I was like, 'Yes Sean, you didn't know this? I thought like Eric or someone would have told you or something. "He's like, 'No. I didn't know, that's so cool. Like, how was he? Was he cool?' I was like, 'Yeah, he was cool, he was funny. Does the boxing make sense now?'" Biaggio - who shares his Islamic faith with his grandad - had seven amateur fights - winning six - before turning professional in 2024. But that came after years of learning the ropes in the gym and taking his licks in the gym - just like everyone else. EXCL Muhammad Ali would still tease George Foreman about Rumble in Jungle win 40 years on as legends became best friends Biaggio said: "In a combat sport, who you're related to means nothing, Where you come from means nothing. "You could come from a silver spoon in your mouth, your dad could be a billionaire, but when you get in that cage and it's locked, even for sparring, that's not gonna help you. "It's you that's gonna be fighting for you. When I first got to Extreme, you know, a lot of ass whoopings, a lot of ass whoopings. You pay your dues, dude. That's how it is in the sport." Biaggio - signed to the Professional Fighters League - returns to the cage on June 27 in Chicago against 2-0 Ronnie Gibbs after nearly one year out. And he said: "I think in this sport, a break like that is good because you can sharpen so many tools and get your mind right and it gives you plenty of time to just get better in everything, physically and mentally. "And that's where I feel like I am. I feel like I've gotten so much better as a fighter and I've gotten so much better in my mental too, so super excited for this fight. I'd like to get a couple more fights at the end of this year." 4 4
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
UFC champion Sean Strickland turns on Trump as president weighs up dramatic action against Iran
Former UFC Champion Sean Strickland has made his stance on the United States' involvement in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran clear. US president Donald Trump reportedly is weighing up whether to join Israel in striking Iranian nuclear sites, it emerged earlier on Tuesday. But Strickland, who has previously expressed his support of the president, hit out as he suggested Trump was neglecting the wishes of those who elected him to office. The 34-year-old replied to a social media post from Trump, in which the Commander-in-Chief had boasted about the US military taking 'complete and total control over the skies of Iran.' 'America doesn't want to be involved in Israel's war...... This is not our war. We don't want it. You were elected by the people. Listen to the people who elected you. WE DO NOT WANT THIS!!!!' Strickland wrote in response. The former middleweight champion has previously backed Trump, offering his support after the president survived an assassination attempt during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last year. The fighter turned on the president as he insisted the USA didn't want to be involved Trump has also been in attendance at several of Strickland's fights in the Octagon, while the fighter publicly declared his support for Trump after a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June 2024. However, this isn't the first time Strickland has expressed doubt in Trump's administration since he returned to the Oval Office in January. Strickland was equally vocal against the US's involvement in the conflict in the Middle East back in February amid reports of a deal for Trump to sell $8 billion worth of arms to Israel. 'Man if Trump keeps this bs up I'm about to start waving a Palestinian flag.. American cities are shitholes and you wanna go spend billions on this dumpster fire.. Did we make a mistake?! This ain't America first..' Strickland wrote on X at the time. Strickland's outrage comes after former MLB star Zack Cozart declared he would no longer support Trump if he leads America into war. 'If Trump gets us in a war, I will no longer support him, and I'm sure most of you know I love Trump,' Cozart said on X. Coazrt previously expressed support for Trump in lead-up to his November election victory over Kamala Harris to re-take the White House. Both Israel and Iran launched fresh strikes at each other overnight, with Iranian state TV eerily warning of 'a surprise tonight that the world will remember'. Residents in Tel Aviv were seen running for shelter as missiles rained down on the city and the Iron Dome sprang into action. Earlier, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a chilling cryptic warning, saying: 'In the name of the noble Haidar, the battle begins.' Haidar is an alternative name for Imam Ali, the fourth Muslim caliph and a revered figure in Shia Islam. Speculation of a US strike on Iran had already been mounting amid reports the American military is deploying more fighter aircraft to the Middle East. Trump yesterday urged Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' as the fifth day of conflict between the two arch foes raged on. He also issued a death threat to Khamenei, and said the U.S. knows where he is hiding but doesn't want him killed 'for now.' 'We know exactly where the so-called "Supreme Leader" is hiding,' the U.S. President wrote on Truth Social. 'He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now. 'But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin.'
Fox News
2 days ago
- Politics
- Fox News
UFC fighter Sean Strickland urges Trump not to be 'involved in Israel's war'
One-time UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland made his stance clear on the notion of America joining Israel in a war against Iran on Tuesday. The 34-year-old fighter sent a post on X, in response to a post from President Donald Trump, urging the commander in chief not to involve the U.S. in the ongoing conflict. Trump's post boasted about the U.S. military taking "complete and total control over the skies of Iran." "America doesn't want to be involved in Israel's war...... This is not our war. We don't want it. You were elected by the people. Listen to the people who elected you. WE DO NOT WANT THIS!!!!" Strickland wrote in response to Trump. Strickland has previously expressed support for Trump, and the president has occasionally been in attendance to watch Strickland fight in the Octagon at past events. Strickland even publicly declared his support for Trump after a win over Paulo Costa at UFC 302 in June 2024. However, Strickland has also been vocal in his stance that he does not want Trump to side with Israel at the cost of American interest. In a Feb. 10 X post, Strickland even suggested he would start waiving a Palestinian flag amid reports of a deal for Trump to sell $8 billion worth of arms to Israel. "Man if Trump keeps this bs up I'm about to start waving a Palestinian flag.. American cities are shitholes and you wanna go spend billions on this dumpster fire.. Did we make a mistake?! This ain't America first.." Strickland wrote. Another professional athlete has also spoken up about their stance in not supporting Trump joining Israel in a war against Iran. Former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cozart, who has also been a staunch Trump supporter in the past, expressed a similar sentiment to Strickland in an X post on Monday. "If Trump gets us in a war, I will no longer support him, and I'm sure most of you know I love Trump," Cozart wrote. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One during an overnight flight back to Washington that he was looking to achieve something better than a ceasefire and would meet with advisers in the Situation Room early Tuesday. "We're looking at better than a cease-fire," Trump said. "We're not looking for a cease-fire. I didn't say that I was looking for a cease-fire." Trump earlier denied reports that he was rushing back to Washington to work on a ceasefire, saying on his Truth Social platform that "it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that." Trump also issued an ominous warning on the platform Monday evening, writing that "IRAN CAN NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON" and "Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!" When reporters aboard Air Force One asked about his call for the residents of Tehran to evacuate, Trump said there was no threat, but "there's a lot of bad things happening, and I think it's safer for them to evacuate." When Trump was asked again if the U.S. getting involved militarily would ensure a end of Iran's nuclear program, Trump said, "I hope their program is going to be wiped out long before that. They're not going to have a nuclear weapon." Trump said he may consider sending Vice President JD Vance and U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff to meet with the Iranians. "It depends on what happens when I get back," Trump said of the Israel-Iran conflict, telling reporters that "nobody's slowed up so far." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Nicotine out, Sean Strickland in: Zach Reese switches it up for UFC on ESPN 68
Nicotine out, Sean Strickland in: Zach Reese switches it up for UFC on ESPN 68 Show Caption Hide Caption Zachary Reese quit nicotine and channeling anger for UFC Vegas 107 UFC on ESPN 68's Zachary Reese spoke to MMA Junkie and reporters at media day for his middleweight bout vs. Dusko Todorovic on Saturday in Las Vegas. LAS VEGAS – Zach Reese has made some life changes in anticipation of Saturday's UFC on ESPN 68. The biggest, perhaps, are a change of scenery and fresh resources. Usually one to do training camp in Texas, Reese (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) moved to Las Vegas for this training camp to train under Eric Nicksick and his staff at Xtreme Couture. The move, Reese told MMA Junkie and other reporters Wednesday, is already paying dividends. "For this camp, I switched it up," Reese said at a pre-fight news conference. "I went out to Xtreme Couture about a month-and-a-half ago. I've been getting a lot of training in with the guys over there, Sean Strickland and Alex Polizzi. I've been super grateful for that, man. I feel like I've really leveled up. I'm in great shape, healthy, and ready to go." Reese, 31, said the switch was spurred from training in Thailand with Chris Curtis, a key member of Xtreme Couture. Once at his new training home, however, Reese has taken a particular liking to training with Sean Strickland, whom he gave a ringing endorsement. "I would say he's the best training partner I've ever had," Reese said. "He tries to make you better every day. He holds the room to a real high standard. There's a ton of energy in the room and real fight, realistic training. I love it. I'm super grateful for it, man." In his most recent outing, Reese was brutally knocked out by Azamat Bekoev in Round 1. That fight took place in January. Four months later, Reese is eager to get back in the win column but thinks he'll have a very different threat with opponent Dusko Todorovic (12-5 MMA, 3-5 UFC) "I think he'll try to take me down, especially based off my losses in the UFC," Reese said. "I think he's going to try to take me down. I hope he tries to stand with me. If he tries to take me down, I'm going to be ready for it. I'll beat him everywhere in every position." Oh, and there's one other X-factor that could be at play Saturday. "I quit cold turkey on nicotine, too," Reese said. "I think that's helping."
